Broken Dolls
by CatBru
Summary: Vengeance was something that burned, and not even a debt could erase that.
1. Prologue

**Broken Dolls**

**Rating:** T

**Disclaimer:** I own them not. If I did, I probably would have messed up the entire thing.

**Summary:** Vengeance was something that burned, and not even a debt could erase that.

**Author's Notes: **Takes place some time after select scenes from 4x04. There is no cure, there is likely to be no Originals, or anything else pertaining to the season except for what I choose to add. Not because I don't like any of this, but because my brain will implode if I tried to keep everything straight.

* * *

**Prologue**

_1918_

Stefan reveled in the hunt of his prey, enjoyed the swift calculation and rapid deceit of his actions.

He had stalked Claudia for days. With purpose, he made himself known just within her periphery. Her hair was dark brown, just as her eyes, and his mouth watered at the thought of sinking his teeth in her olive skin. She reminded him of Katherine, and all things she was not, and it was because of that he braced his arm above the young girl's throat in a dank alley.

When he was finished, he could still hear the screams as they echoed through the night. He imagined he would always hear those screams as he gently placed the severed head back on the body's neck.

He returned to himself then, saw what he had done, and ran. His shoulder rammed harshly against that of another woman's, but he was too far gone in his remorse to care about yet another victim.

He felt a tug at his sleeve as the screams continued. In an attempt to block it out, to block everything out, he pressed the palms of his hands against his ears as he darted and weaved through the thick crowd.

_1969_

Woodstock. It was the culmination of all peace rallies, the epitome of love for humanity, the cry for peace.

It made him sick.

Bodies pressed against each other as drugs and unknown substances entered the blood stream.

It was a smorgasbord, and Damon was there to eat his fill. His first had been a blonde, too far gone to see the danger in his eye. She was still slumped against the bark of a tree, far enough away to not draw attention, yet far enough that she could explain the pain as a bad trip to her friends later.

His next had offered up a lot of fun for his troubles, and she had remained conscious until he had been through with her. Her boyfriend lay still beside them both as she rode him through the night, and come dawn, neither would remember he had even been there.

He should have expected other vampires to be in attendance. In fact, he had sensed them, just in the periphery, as they stayed clear of one another. There was plenty to go around, and all of them were too far gone on the second-hand buzz to get in each other's way.

When he ran into another of his kind, he thought nothing of it. They joined together in a haze, dancing amidst the gyrating bodies as Santana took the stage.

He had to pull her away from a man far too greasy for his taste, her blood lust evident in her eyes as she snarled at him. It would be fun to lay waste to them all, but that would draw more attention than he would like.

"Slow down," he told her. "Enjoy yourself, Sunshine."

Her breathing, labored at her restrained, slowed. "Why?"

Damon thought to Sage, and what she had taught him. "Because there is more to this. There is fun."

She must have been new, or nearly feral. 'Sunshine' eyed him with apprehension. "Why bother?"

"Trust me, it makes your life a lot simpler if you do as I say."

The other vampire hesitated as she eyes him. She looked down at his hand, which he offered her, and she blinked. "And why would you do that?"

Damon thought for a moment before he shrugged. "Because I'm bored."

When she took his hand, he pulled her in close as they both swayed to the song. "Just remember," he said, spinning her as they danced. "You owe me."

And Damon always collected on his favors, even if it took a few years.

_2012_

For many years, she had tracked him down. She had lost his scent for awhile, but recently she had heard rumors of his return.

Those rumors had led her here, to Mystic Falls.

He was right there, in the town's one bar, whispering in the ear of a young girl as they played around the pool table. He seemed so happy, they both did, and it made her sick.

Spying had become second nature to her. She had nurtured this side of her, developed it into something beyond what it would normally be in a vampire. It had given her meaning beyond the simple killing. Over the years, she had honed every sense for this moment.

She had never learned his name, had only known him by the whispers of those who feared him, but she heard the girl say it now with a giggle and a swat to his chest. The sound of it made her stomach roil, the sight turned her vision red.

How dare he forget.

Ignoring the bartender when he asked if she would like another drink, she took them both in. She had had years to plot and scheme, but nothing had prepared her to be faced with such a delicious act of revenge.

She ignored him and surveyed the girl. It would be so easy, almost more than she had anticipated.

After all this time, she would succeed in her mission.

After nearly a century, she would avenge her Claudia.

* * *

_This story is coming along slowly. I won't be updating it nearly as much as I had Dating Advice, because the subject matter is not exactly something I am used to writing. But it will come along. Hopefully your curiosity has been piqued._


	2. Letting Go

**Disclaimer: **I own them not. If I did, I probably would have messed up the entire thing.

**Part One – Letting Go**

* * *

"Where are you going?"

"Away, Elena," was all Damon offered as he threw a bag into the trunk of his Camaro. It landed with a thunk against the container holding anti-freeze and washer fluid.

Elena watched as he moved around his vehicle, checking the pressure of his tire and the amount of oil in the engine. He checked the gas gauge and the receipts for when he last had his baby serviced. It was all so mundane.

She hovered, knew she did, and could not stop herself. "_Why_ are you going?"

His shoulders slumped as he leaned over the engine block. At first, she thought he was not going to answer, or give her some veiled truth covered in lies. But this was Damon, not Stefan, and for the most part he had always been brutal in his honesty.

"You made the choice," he told her. "And I need to uphold my side of a bargain I made. Who you don't choose leaves town." He slammed the hood, leaned against it as he surveyed the grounds, looking for anything he forgot.

"I don't want you to leave," she admitted, coming to his side as she placed a hand on his arm. "You told me you wouldn't. What about that?"

Damon looked at her for a long moment before he turned, extricating her hold on him in one smooth move. "That was when you needed me. You don't anymore."

Panic welled in her. He was really going to leave. There was no hesitation in his eyes, nothing that would convince him to stay. Still, she needed to try.

"I still need you," Elena said. "What if I lose control?"

He regarded her before cradling her face in his hands. "I taught you all you're willing to listen to, Elena. The rest is up to you."

Elena shook her head, blinking in the hopes of keeping her eyes dry. She failed. "I don't want you to go."

For a second, she thought he would stay as he looked at her with an intense expression. He read her eyes, in a way only he could, before he shook his head and obliterated what hope she had. "This isn't about you, Elena."

Only it was. She could feel it between them, and she tried to cling to the words he left unspoken, but they evaporated in the morning mist. She thought he was just going to leave, but he surprised her again when he pressed his lips to her forehead.

"Take care of yourself." Then he was in his car, engine revved, and the spraying gravel as he pulled away pelted her jeans.

Her voice caught in her throat as she took a couple steps for his retreating car, stopping only when she realized she would not be able to catch up. "Damon!"

He heard her, she knew he had to have, but he did not even glance in the rear view mirror when he turned the corner.

Stefan was there in an instant. The understanding in his eyes hurt, so when he reached for her she jerked away. This was his fault, his and Damon's both, for reaching a decision that impacted her. Always the same, with the both of them.

Elena left Stefan standing in the drive, storming toward the boarding house. She was far too angry at both of them to cry.

xo

_This seat's taken._ Both of them were. But there were people always sitting there now, always wearing too many colors for her liking. They came and went, contaminating his seats with their humanity.

The Grill teamed with people, as always, and one look inside would leave one to wonder if people had nothing better to do in a small town on a Friday night.

"Come on, Elena," Caroline said. "If you keep staring, they're going to combust."

Jerking in her seat, Elena turned toward her friend. Offering a shy smile, she tucked her hair behind an ear before focusing all her attention on Caroline. "Sorry."

The blond vampire offered a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry, Sweety, but he isn't coming back."

That reminder, one her friends were none too gentle to provide, socked her in the gut as swift and hard as the first time. Still, she covered it up as she rolled her eyes. "I know. But it's just so weird, I keep expecting to run into him and his annoying comments."

Caroline sighed through her nose, her once deceptive vapidity no where to be seen as her eyes bored into Elena with an eery knowing expression. "How's Stefan?"

Elena held up a hand. "Can we not talk about him? Or his brother? Can we just focus on why we're here?"

Caroline took the hint before propelling into her plans for Prom. Elena tried to remain focused, but her mind strayed back toward the subject she wished desperately to avoid.

It had been a month since Damon had left. In that time, Elena kept expecting to shake herself of this funk she had fallen into. Still, it hurt, and his absence was made acute by the presence of his brother. Seeing Stefan reminded her of the brother's decision, and though she tried to hide it, a part of her could not help but be mad at her boyfriend.

Because of him, and their decision, she had lost a best friend she had not known she had.

"_Elena,"_ Caroline's voice cut in like a knife.

Angry at herself, Elena cleared her throat and shifted in her seat, trying to focus. She was failing miserably, and finally decided she refused to allow her friend to suffer through her drama.

"I'm sorry, Care. I'm just going to go," she said.

"And do what? Wallow in sad ninety's ballads as you pour your woes in a pint of ice cream?" Caroline demanded. "You didn't break up with him, Elena, he was never your boyfriend."

Caroline's words were said without rancor, and even if they were, Elena was too exhausted to snap back.

"That's actually a good idea," she said, trying for a joke that fell flat on its face. "I'll catch you tomorrow at school?"

Without waiting for a response, she grabbed her leather jacket and swung it on. With a small wave, she exited the small bar and stretched under the night air.

Her blood sang as she inhaled the crisp air. She had become more a night person since her change, and the blood lust was more difficult to manage at this time. Slowly, she had done it, and true to his word she had managed to do it without him hovering over her shoulder, but with each meal she was constantly reminded of his words of assurance.

Elena had ridden to the bar with Caroline, so she was faced with a short walk back. It did not bother her, as she needed the jolt to her system as the cold air nipped at her nose. It would do her good to get some fresh air.

She felt his approach. Without turning, she continued down the sidewalk. "What brings you here?"

Stefan said nothing at first. "I know you're still mad at me."

"I'm not mad, Stefan." She was, but she was sick of being angry all the time. Elena stopped to face him. "You two made a choice, and now we get to live with it."

"I never thought he would actually leave," he admitted.

"Neither did I." And then her cheeks were wet and her breath was hitching in her throat. "And I miss him. I'm sorry, but I do, and what if he doesn't come back?"

"Hey, hey," Stefan said as he pulled her in his arms. She resisted at first, wanting to stay mad at him, but she was just so tired. "I'm sure we haven't seen the last of him. He's Damon, after all."

Elena accepted the hug, but she felt detached from it. It was neither warm nor inviting, instead it rung hollow. Pulling away, she pressed her lips in a tight smile before looking him in the eye. "Goodbye, Stefan."

She owed him more than that, but as she walked away from him, all she could think about was that she needed time. Time to reassess, time to readjust. She would deal with this decision later, one that she could not yet fully comprehend.

All she knew for sure was that they had both done this without her, used her as a deciding prize. For that alone, she did not know where to begin sorting out what she felt.

Being mad at Stefan was easy. He was there and tangible.

Being mad at Damon was too hard when he was so far away, but she was sure as hell going to try.

xo

He never made it that far from Mystic Falls. In his cheap motel room, in a rundown town a few miles short of Richmond, Damon cursed at the lack of anything appealing, even on HBO, during midday. He was forced to endure Soap Operas and their mind numbingly repetitive dramas.

"Come on, she doesn't deserve you!" he shouted at the small television, scowling at the horrendous train wreck unfolding before his eyes. He knew the drill, experienced it first hand, and if the man had any intelligence at all he would get the hell out of Dodge.

Apparently, the character was oblivious to what Damon inherently knew and continued the farce with the wisp of a girl who would normally never give him the time of day.

Sighing, he switched the television set off and wallowed in the shadowed darkness of day. These were the times to wallow, when the sun was out and fun was tucked safely in work cubicles. At night, though, his dinner would stream to the local bar and unwind, oblivious that they were nothing more than walking snacks.

He tried to regain what he had been a few years ago, but apparently his give-a-damn was not as broken as it had once been. Of course, he knew exactly whose fault that was, and cursed her for controlling him even now. He had left for a reason, and perhaps a few more miles would help him to rediscover who he had once been. He could ignore the pull that urged him to go back, when he remembered why he had left in the first place. It was all the other times that made the urge so strong that more than once he had found himself halfway out the door, keys in hand.

Damon had gone through this shit once, and he would be damned if he went through it again.

Frustration warred within him, and he came to a happy medium. He would get a head start on the night's proclivities and hope that bourbon removed craving more than just blood.

xo

Elena knew first hand that the world did not stop just because someone left. Not everyone would mourn a loss that was not their own forever, and eventually her friends pushed her to come out of her self-induced pity party.

Things with Stefan were not as they had been, but slowly their bond drew a friendship between them at the very least. It was mildly awkward at first, and eventually that fizzled to the comfortable atmosphere she was used to around him. She pretended to not notice that look he would sometimes get in his eyes, just as she was sure he took to ignoring the way her head would sometimes snap up whenever there was a noise somewhere in the boardinghouse.

Pool became a safe haven for them. The crack of the balls was familiar to her, as were the calculated movements around the table. They made it a point to play a game or two every week, usually on a Friday, as they caught up on idle chatter.

"So how's the Prom planning coming along?" Stefan asked as he racked for the next game.

"Same as last year's, I suppose," she said as she watched him break. "Caroline's vying for a return of her Scarlett dress. The others are vetoing in hopes for a more traditional dance."

"Since when are the dances ever traditional?"

Elena laughed. It was a refreshing feeling. "I guess you have a point."

As they played, she felt eyes on her. At times she would pause and survey the crowd, but she would see nothing out of the ordinary and return to the game. If Stefan noticed anything, he said nothing.

Their game ended soon, and Elena was too drained to start another. She said her goodbyes, and the farewell hug was fractionally less awkward than it had been the week before.

The creepy sensation left as soon as she was outside, and she shook it off as she climbed into her car.

xo

Damon had driven most of the night when he decided to stop just outside of Knoxville. The Tennessee town was not as large as others, and in the distance it glittered with a newness he had become unaccustomed to.

He remembered with vague recollection driving through the same city some years ago, when the cold war was still in full swing. Damon wondered if there was as much nuclear activity there as there had once been.

He pulled into the only bar he could find. If he looked harder, he was certain he would have found others, but in a pinch this would have to do.

Not long later, bourbon coated his tongue and the familiar burn swept down his throat. He looked around and hid a sneer. Small town, little people, and each one enjoying their own little lives. Unlike Mystic Falls, no one here had even a suspicion of who he was. Damon wondered if any vampires had come around lately, and looking around, he could see why.

One or two people sidled up next to him, tried to start a conversation. He graced both with a glance before he turned to his drink. One of them looked too much like Elena, the other did not look enough like her.

This was what he would be regressed to for who knew how long. He had to get her out of his system, but for the moment he was content to wallow like the love sick fool he really was.

Closing time came too soon for his liking. Finishing his drink, he slid off the stool and glanced around. One or two stragglers stumbled out, and his lips twitched in a smirk.

He was starving, and he needed some fun.

xo

Her dress was scarlet.

Elena studied her reflection in the mirror, detaching herself to find some fault and flaw in the way she looked. They were all she found.

Shaking her head, she applied a thin coat of gloss to her lips. Bonnie would be there soon, and the two of them would likely be the only ones attending their senior Prom stag. It had taken some convincing to get Elena to go in the first place, mostly by Caroline. Memories needed to be made, after all.

Elena was not sure what she dreaded more, going to the Prom, or going to it with Bonnie. Things had been growing more and more strained between them. She hoped this night would bridge the gap between them, show her best friend of so many years that despite it all she was still the same person.

Looking in the mirror again, she tried to smile. Everything in her life was a mess. Her emotions rode high, then low, never entering the even keel she remembered when she had been alive. Damon was gone, Stefan and her were over, and if she lost one more person in her life, she would scream.

So she would do what she had done when her parents had died. She would smile at the world, tell anyone who would listen that she was fine, and try and find a place to land her feet.

The doorbell rang, signaling it was time to to face an evening of fun and memories. With a cautious smoothing of her dress, she went to greet Bonnie at the door.

xo

The gymnasium brimmed with decorations, cascading from the ceiling in a veritable splash of streamers and sparklers and anything else that made the eye bleed.

Still, Elena smiled over her punch glass as she and Bonnie discussed their AP History test. It reminded of her of Ric, which sent her mind in a spiral of directions she wanted to avoid, but the subject was so normal that she clung to it.

"I'm thinking at least a B," Bonnie said.

"I don't even want to think about how I did," Elena confessed. There was a moment when the press of bodies around her tugged at her senses, calling to her. She should have eaten before she came.

The feeling passed after she closed her eyes and breathed. Then she returned her attention to Bonnie, who was looking at her with a distant suspicion.

Ignoring it, Elena plastered a wide grin on her face. "We didn't come here to talk about tests. Let's go dance."

She ignored everything. The way her senses were drowning in the presence of so much blood, the wary look her friend kept casting her way. She ignored the absence of strong arms guiding her through a dance or two. Instead, she made memories.

They would be wonderful and glorious, and when she told her grandchildren about this day, she would be happy.

Her movements stilled at the thought. Elena still had those moments, when her future was not an eternity of longevity, when she believed she would have a family. Now, though, reality settled around her, thick and strong, and it suffocated her.

"I'm going to go," she told Bonnie. Without waiting for a reply, she pressed through the crowd. People jarred into her, assaulting her senses, reminding her with every crashed foot and misplaced elbow that she was not human.

Bonnie called out to her, but she ignored that, too. Pushing the doors open, she stumbled into the night, trying to catch her breath. She quickly saw her future play out ahead of her. It was something she had been avoiding since she had turned. Before, she could maybe see herself a couple hundred years from now, chasing the waves with Stefan.

Now that was dashed, and she hyperventilated at the thought of what eternity held for her now.

Alone. She would always be alone.

Elena pushed by the few stragglers as her feet carried her forward, down the parking lot and onto the street, moving faster as she went. She only slowed when she rounded the block, the school disappearing from view.

Gulping for air, she pressed the heels of her hands to her eyes. _Breathe._

The voice was not her own, just a whisper of a memory. _Breathe._

For once, she listened to it. The air no longer denied her, and soon her breathing returned to normal. She was able to straighten on shaky limbs.

When Elena composed her self, she took a step forward. She was determined to pull through this. She was strong, and capable, and nothing was set in stone. She had learned long ago that always did not mean forever.

Then, when her house came in view, she heard a loud crack as her world spun on its axis.

Then nothing.

xo

Damon's cell rang at eight in the morning.

At first he ignored it, burrowing deeper into his pillow as he tried to block out the early interruption. He had been dreaming, and for once it had been pleasant.

The insistent sound bore through his subconscious though, dragging him from the warmth of limbo and into the cold morning.

"This had better be good," he demanded as he held the phone up to his ear.

"_Damon,_" Stefan's voice cut through the static of poor reception.

His jaw ticked. "What the hell are you calling for? I'll have you know I was enjoying sunlit beaches and miles of bikinis."

"_Damon,_" his brother said again, and the tone sent a chill down Damon's spine. "_Elena's missing._"

* * *

_I know I said I wasn't going to post as fast as my other story, but this sort of snuck up on me. I have the next couple parts written out, and some of the later ones mapped out in my brain._

_I could have dragged this out over the course of a couple chapters but chose not to. It wasn't necessary for the main plot. Instead, you get this disjointed jumble of a mess._


	3. Day Two

**Disclaimer: **I own them not. If I did, I probably would have messed up the entire thing.

**Part Two – Day Two**

* * *

"What do you mean, Elena's missing?" Damon asked. "And why are you calling to tell me this little nugget of information?"

"_You haven't been by Mystic Falls recently, have you?"_

Damon bit his cheek as he rolled his eyes. "Are you asking if I took your girlfriend on another road trip?"

"_It wouldn't be the first time,"_ Stefan said.

"As I recall, _Brother, _we had an agreement. What makes you think I haven't upheld my end of our little deal?"

"_Damon, please. Just tell me she's there with you."_

He glanced around his room. "Nope, doesn't look like she is."

"_Damn it, this is serious!"_

"I'm being serious, Stefan!" he snapped. "I haven't seen either of you since I left. Why the hell would I go back now?"

There was a pause on the other line. "_She's missing for almost two days."_

"Yeah, I gathered that, genius." He sighed. "How long has she been gone?"

"_Since last night. No one has seen her since Prom."_

"Well, maybe she found some party goers to snack on and is waiting out her high."

"_She doesn't do that,"_ Stefan said. There was another pause. "_She hasn't been doing well since you left._"

The admission pleased a part of him, but Damon quickly tampered it down. "So, trouble in paradise, I take it?"

Stefan's sigh crackled through the air. "_I don't know why I called. Maybe she left town."_

"Why would you think that? Is Jeremy still around?"

"_Yeah, what's that got to do with it? He doesn't know where she is, either."_

Despite himself, worry began to niggle at the back of his mind. "If her brother's still there, she just wouldn't skip out on him like that."

"_I need your help finding her, she could be in danger."_

"And what makes you think I give a rat's ass anymore?" he asked.

"_Because in all these months you've been gone, you still have the same number."_

"Screw you," he bit out before angrily disconnecting the call.

Damon glared at the room for a moment. He hated this. She had made her choice, and he would be damned if he went back with tail between his legs.

The quiet of the room pressed around him. He could hear the traffic outside, heard the jangle of keys as someone got into the car. He even heard the muffled cough of the guy in the room next door.

"Damn it."

xo

The trail was cold. It had rained during the early morning, leaving a light mist in the air and erasing anything that could have been helpful.

Stefan had already searched around her house. He knew it was a bit early to worry, but when Jeremy called to look for her, he had grown concerned. Bonnie's phone rang eight times before she answered, her greeting curt, until he asked where Elena was. The witch had no clue, saying Elena had left the Prom early. No one had seen her since.

He shoved his hands in his pockets as he walked, the crisp air nipping at his nose. He ignored it as he searched the bushes again.

Frustrated, Stefan pulled out his phone and called the same number he had dialed at least fifty times. The ring filled his ear and he could hear the ring tone echo in the morning air.

Pulling the phone away from his ear, he could still hear the ring. With leaden legs he rushed toward the sound, hope clawing in his chest.

He did not find her, though, but instead her own phone, lying under a cluster of leaves. The foliage had protected it from most of the rain. With slumped shoulders he picked it up and turned it off before shoving it in his pocket.

Standing, he surveyed the area as the adrenaline rush ebbed and he was left feeling adrift. A car rolled by, the driver ignoring him, and his ears flooded with the rumbling sound of an engine in bad need of a tune up.

She was not there.

He missed her, and not just because they were no longer together. Elena had become distant even before disappeared, and Stefan knew it was not just due to Damon's absence. She was not adjusting well, he knew that. She was trying to justify who she was now and who she had been, and for someone like her it was such a difficult thing to do.

Now she missing, and he could do nothing to help. He could not even succeed in bringing his brother back, who had a sixth sense when it came to Elena. He was on his own for this.

His phone rang. Glancing at the screen, he saw Bonnie's name flashing. He did not want to give an update that held no news. He did not want to deal with anyone else's panic. He just wanted to get down to finding Elena.

Shoving the phone in his other pocket, effectively muffling the call, he continued his search.

No matter what, he would find her.

xo

Hunger was the first thing Elena felt when she drifted to consciousness. It clawed deep in her gut and worked its way up to an ache in her gums.

Her head throbbed and her neck was sore. Her mind was in a thick haze, and she struggled through the nausea to sort out what had happened.

Why had she fallen asleep in her dress?

Getting up, Elena was surprised when she did not feel the cushion of her mattress beneath her. Instead, her hands came in contact with something hard and unforgiving. Opening her eyes, she realized she was not in her house. She wondered if she was even in Mystic Falls.

"You're awake." The voice was hard. "Good."

Rolling her neck, Elena sat up. The room was dark and her captor sat shrouded in shadow.

"Where am I?" she asked. "What happened?"

"You're away." The shadows moved as the figure stepped into the shaft of light drifting from a small window. The woman's eyes glared down at her, cold and unforgiving.

"Seriously, where am I?" Elena's patience wore thin. She did not stop to think about the power this woman held over her.

The woman knelt beside her. Something in her expression softened. "Don't worry, dear. It will hurt at first, but soon you won't feel a thing."

Elena shifted until she leaned against the wall. The staircase behind her captor led up to a thick door. The window high on the wall was too small for her to squeeze through. If she were going to make her escape, it would be now.

Shoving her captive hard, Elena rushed past for the stairs. They were old and warped, but held her weight firm. Gloved hands grabbed at her ankle and she went down hard. Her forehead slammed into one of t he steps as she was dragged back down.

"You're not going anywhere," the woman said. Her voice had a calm that sent chills down Elena's spine.

"Just let me go," Elena demanded.

The woman laughed. "Now what would be the point in that? I've hunted you for weeks. I've stalked you. Just like he had."

"He who? Who are you?" Dust stung her nose as the woman shoved her against the wall.

"You know. You're little boyfriend. He took something from me, many years ago, and it's finally time I paid him back for that." She knelt down again, this time with more caution. All hopes of surprising her a second time fled. "My name is Irene. I'm sure if you were to ask him, he wouldn't remember. But you can't anyway, so what's the point?"

There was a slight crack in her expression. Through it Elena saw something that terrified her. A sane kidnapped she could deal with, probably even reason with. Instead, all she saw was insanity.

"Imagine my surprise when I found out you weren't human," Irene said as she pulled a length of rope from inside her jacket. The herbal scent assaulted Elena's senses as panic welled in her. "I was just going to let you stay like this, but it's a good thing I brought a back-up plan."

Elena tried to roll away, but Irene was older and stronger than she was. Without effort, Elena was pinned to the ground, both wrists caught in the strong grip of one hand. The ropes burned when they contacted skin and she bit back a cry.

It was her first experience with vervain as a vampire and the pain consumed her.

"It's just so you don't get away, dear," Irene said, voice calm. When she was certain her work was secure, she fastened the end to a rusty pipe. "There, that should hold you for a little while, don't you think?"

Elena blinked at the sting in her eyes. She tugged on her bonds but stopped as the pain radiated up her arms.

"I would stop doing that," Irene said. "I'll remove them when you're weak enough."

"If you're going to kill me, just do it," Elena said.

"Oh no, dear. That would be too swift. The Ripper doesn't deserve that."

"This is about Stefan?" Elena demanded.

"Oh, so that's his name?" Irene stood up and surveyed the room. "I suppose I could bring down a cot. Make it a little more comfortable for you. Would you like that?"

"What I would like is an explanation. Why are you all this?"

"Because revenge is something to be savored. I've waited years for this, and I'm not going to let you take it away from me," Irene said. "But don't worry. I'm not going to kill you. Maybe in a few decades, I'll tell him where I've hidden you. Death is permanence, it allows you to move on. Sometimes. But the not knowing? That would consume his every waking thought."

"What could he have done that was so bad?" Elena did not want to hear it, but she had to know.

"He took away my humanity," Irene spat. "He stalked her, courted her, _used _her, and when he was done he tore her apart."

"Wait, he turned you?" She tried to wrap her mind around the ramblings of a crazy person. It was not working.

"No, I turned before this happened. She kept me sane, kept me grounded. And he took that, he killed my daughter, and the only way to avenge her is if you sit down and keep quiet and just let the desiccation begin." Irene's eyes drifted to the corner as the woman became lost in thought. Then she snapped her attention back and smiled. "Well, my show is going to start soon. Try to make yourself comfortable."

Elena's pleas remained ignored, and when the door slid shut, she was left alone. She bit at the ropes, hoping to untie them, but the soaked fibers burned her lips and tongue.

Gasping she pulled away. She could feel the burns slowly fade but it was taking her strength with it. With the constant attempts her wrists were making to heal, she knew she did not have much time left.

xo

Caroline was good at busy work. It took her mind off pressing matters, such as feeling completely useless when one of her best friends was missing. A part of her hoped Elena went on a vacation without telling anyone. If someone asked Caroline, her friend could use the break.

She tried to be the good friend, really she did. There were only so many pints of ice cream and watching Elena wallow that she could do before it started to irritate her. Not that it was directed at Elena at all.

This was supposed to be the best year of their life. Instead, every other day it was a struggle to get Elena to smile, or to maintain some semblance of normalcy between everyone. Bonnie had taken Elena's transition harder than she had Caroline's, and the blond had to admit that it was not really fair to any of them.

Shaking her head, Caroline turned back to what her fellow Prom committee spokesperson was saying. "I'm sorry, Mindy. Could you repeat that?"

The short girl gave Caroline an exasperated look. "For the fifth time; it took longer to clean up than it should have. For the next dance, we need to hire a professional cleaning service."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Or do what any other self respecting team would do and recruit volunteers a few weeks in advance instead of the last day."

"Well, we could have had the volunteers if someone had their head in the game," Mindy said.

Caroline fumed. "I don't need to hold your hand every step of the way, Mindy. It's not like you just started doing this yesterday. So instead of blaming me for your shortcomings, next time do the job I delegated to you, kay?"

Spinning on her heels, she stormed to the other side of the gymnasium where a pile of banners lying in a heap on the floor. Bending over, she scooped the heavy load in her arms and exited the school building and toward the dumpster.

When the last of student-painted signs were firmly in the trash, she brushed her hands and gave it a satisfied nod.

"Hello, Blondie."

Caroline jumped. Then she did the only thing she could think of in that moment. With determination, she strode toward him and gave him a hard sock on the arm.

"What the hell was that for?" Damon demanded.

"You know darn well what for," she said. The, straightening her top, she looked him over. "How have you been? Where have you been? Did you hear about Elena?"

Damon rolled his eyes. "Good, places, and why else would I come riding to the rescue?"

"You owe me," she said as she crossed her arms.

"I owe you nothing," he said. "I don't owe any of you jack."

"Well I have three months worth of mope ice cream and hundreds of hours on Netflix streaming sappy romantic comedies that say other wise," she said. "Do you know how many times I would have to watch _10 Things I Hate About You_ in a row before getting sick of it? I used to think, like, a million. Apparently, it's seventeen. Seventeen times, Damon. In a row."

"What the hell does your teenage woes have to do with me leaving?" he asked. Then he smirked. "Miss me that much, did you?"

"Not me. Elena. You get to gallivant around doing who knows what with who knows who, and she loses yet another person in her dwindling circle of friends." She stepped close to him, getting right in his face. "I may have finally almost forgiven you for what you did to me, but nobody messes with my friends and gets away with it."

"You may have missed the memo, Blondie, but I left so she could find her happily ever after."

"Yeah, shame they broke up, right?"

His eyes widened slightly before his expression cooled into a passive mask. "Well, good for them."

Caroline found herself faltering. "You didn't know?"

He shrugged. "Guess I missed that Facebook status update."

Well, this was awkward.

Caroline shifted on her feet before clearing her throat.

Fortunately, he broke the silence first. "Any news on Elena?"

She shook her head. "None. This isn't like her. How did you find out, anyway?"

"Brother Dearest decided to break radio silence," he said. Then he muttered. "I should have changed my number."

"But something may be really wrong, Damon," she said. "This isn't like her."

He sighed. "I know. I already pointed this out to Stefan."

There was another silence, and this time Caroline was the one to break it. "She really does miss you. There may have been a lot going on, but I know that you were the main reason my bandwidth is so high these past few months."

"I guess absence really does make the heart grow fonder."

"Damon, don't act like you haven't missed her, too."

"Look," he said. "You guys called. I came. What more do you want for me?"

"For you to find her," she said.

"What makes you think I can?"

"Because," she said. "You always do."

xo

Stefan only suspended his search to eat and the only reason why he stopped by the boarding house was to change his shirt. Wildlife was becoming harder and harder to find the further into winter it became. He hoped it did not come down between a random stranger on the street and Fido.

Shrugging on a fresh shirt, he entered the living room.

"So, I heard from Caroline who heard from Bonnie who heard from Elena that young Stefan is now available for the Dating Game," Damon said from the couch.

"When did you get in?" he asked.

"Oh, five minutes ago. Or has it been two hours. Depends on how long I talked to Caroline," Damon said. "You know how that girl just loves to talk."

"So you decided to come after all," Stefan said as he nodded. "I haven't found any leads so far."

"The lack of Elena in the room would indicate this, Captain Obvious," Damon said. He stood up from the couch and stalked toward Stefan. "Here's what I don't get. I leave so you two can have your happy ever afters. That was the agreement. I turn my back on you for _two seconds_ and you let her get taken. Why is that, Stefan?"

"I didn't _let_ her get taken, Damon," Stefan said. "I can't keep tabs on her twenty-four-seven."

"You'd probably do better at it if you hadn't let her go."

"I didn't let her go. She made her choice, I'm not going to force her to stay with me. That's not how love works, Damon."

"Don't lecture me on what somebody does for people they love," Damon said. "As you recall, I left."

"And it did her a world of good," Stefan said.

"It was our agreement!"

"And it tore her apart!" Stefan said.

Damon simmered before Stefan, fist clenching. Stefan would love nothing more than a fight right now. It would take the edge off, to get his mind in order. Stefan knew his brother was right. It was his fault Elena had gotten taken. "You going to hit me?"

"Would hurt more if I didn't this time, Brother."

Damon was right, and Stefan hated him for it. "Are you going to help look for her?"

"Why do you think I came back?" Damon asked. "Sure as hell wasn't for the bustling nightlife."

* * *

_A note regarding next chapter. I am not Bonnie's biggest fan. It's not for that reason that I don't write her much, I just don't want to cram my views of her character down her throat, for I know not everyone shares my view on her. And if I wrote a lot of her, that's exactly what I would be doing._


	4. Day Three

**Disclaimer:**If I owned them, there'd be an actual triangle.

**AN: **Before I begin, thank you to those who have followed, reviewed, and liked this. But I really have come to the point where I must ask. Am I doing the characters wrong? Is my story telling less than stellar? I am not asking for reviews in of itself. I seriously want to know where I can improve so I can deliver a better story. If it's a beta, then I am open to one. If it's something else, please let me know, even if it's in the privacy of a PM. There has to be a reason why my reader base is so silent, and these are the only things I can think of.

* * *

**Part Three – Day Three**

"_Elena, it's time to wake up. You'll be late for school."_

_The familiar voice dragged Elena from her troubled sleep. Blinking, she stared up at her mother. Something was off, she could not quite put her finger on it. "What time is it?"_

"_Don't worry, you still have time." Her mother sat beside her on the comforter. "You doing okay? Seems like you were having a pretty intense dream there."_

_Elena sat up, her wrists burning and her mouth dry, but her dream slipped out of her mind the moment she tried to remember. "I don't remember."_

"_Well, no worries then." Miranda patted her on the knee. "So tell me. Why haven't you asked me about your boy troubles?"_

_Elena furrowed her brows. "But I already told you about Matt."_

_Miranda leveled her with that look, the one that said she could see through anything. "I meant about Damon and Stefan, Sweety."_

_She was confused at first, then her mind shifted and readjusted. She sighed and rubbed her face with her hand. "Because there's nothing to tell. Stefan is Stefan and Damon is...well, Damon. There's nothing I can do to change it."_

"_Of course there is, Dear," her mother said, taking one of Elena's hands in her own. "There's a simple solution to all of your problems."_

_Elena wanted to cry. Her mother would know what to do, she had all the answers, and always had. "And what's that?"_

"_Stake them, Honey. Stake them both."_

_Elena stilled. "What?"_

_Miranda gave her a gentle smile. "They're vampires, Elena. All vampires deserve to die."_

_Then there was a stake in her hand, and it flew toward Elena's chest._

She woke with a start. Panic clawed at her, demanding she find a way to free herself. Before she could think, she put her teeth on the knot at her wrists and pulled, barely feeling it loosen when she hissed in pain and pulled away.

"Don't worry, it was just a dream."

Elena jumped. Damon sat in the shadows, shifting as the moonlight filtered through the small window. She could hardly keep focus on his face. "When did you get here?"

"I've always been here, Elena," he said with a smirk. "You just haven't been looking hard enough."

She missed his voice. "I'm hungry."

"I know," he said. "You're getting weaker. Soon, you won't be able to move at all as your body mummifies. I give it two, three days tops. Then again, it's not like I'm telling you something you didn't already know."

Elena tried to swallow, but her mouth was too dry. "Are you real?"

Damon shrugged. "I am whatever you want me to be. I could be Stefan, if you like."

That idea did not sit well with her. "I need to find a way out of here."

"Oh, but that's not what you want. What you want is to stay here so Crazy Stalker Bitch doesn't hunt down your friends and kill them just to get at you." He lounged against the wall as he crossed his hands behind his head. "After all, it's always about what you want, Elena."

"That's not true," she said as she shook her head. "That's not what I want at all."

"Isn't it? You always play the martyr, wanting to save the lives of your friends, even if it means your own death." His tone was cold as ice.

"This isn't you," she said. "Why are you being like this?"

He shrugged again. "It's your hallucination, you tell me." Not waiting for her to respond, he continued. "You want to play it safe. You want simple. You want to protect everyone else above yourself. And when it gets to hard, you want to run home and cry to mommy, only she isn't there any more to take away your fears. Even if she was, well, you saw how that went."

Elena jerked. "Now you're just being mean."

"I'm always mean, Sweetheart. Get over it," he said. "None of that's what you need, though."

"Oh, no?" she said, getting angry at this ghost. "What do I need, then?"

"You need someone to look out for you above all others, Elena. You need to make the hard decisions. You need to stop shutting out life just because you're a vampire. You need to live." He leaned forward. "You need me."

Tears stung her eyes. "But you left."

"Because it was what you wanted," he said. "See? What you want and what you need are two different things."

Elena shook her head. "That wasn't what I wanted at all."

He was gone, though, and her words echoed in the small room.

After a moment, she tugged at the ropes. They remained tight, but ever so slowly, she could feel something give.

xo

Damon never thought he would find himself sitting at his regular bar stool, but there he was. It was midday, as well, and he wondered at how easy it was to fall back into familiar patterns.

He had spent the night looking for Elena, turning up no clues. Now he sat, listening, wondering if perhaps someone would not be talking about evil plots for world domination. It was a long shot, but one worth taking.

The bourbon burned his throat. He sipped it this time around, knowing he had to stay on alert.

"Damon? Is that you?"

Turning, he saw a face he never expected to see in Mystic Falls. If the crazy were any more evident on her, she was one he never hoped to see again. He cursed overcast days and their tendencies to draw out the lunatics. "Well, well, if it isn't Little Miss Sunshine. What brings you here?"

"Oh, you know, business." Sunshine slid into the bar stool next to him. _Alaric's_ seat. He clenched his jaw.

"In Mystic Falls?" he said.

"I never did get the chance to thank you," she said, ignoring his comment.

"For what?"

Sunshine laughed. "You know what. Really, you helped me out when I needed it most. I owe you for that."

"And don't you forget it," he teased.

"Trust me, I won't." Her sudden serious tone made him face her for the first time.

Her hair was different. A different shade of red, several inches shorter. She had gotten rid of the curls. Her eyes were just as he remembered. Just as green and just as crazy. "I only did it because I was bored and had nothing better to do."

"But you really did help me," she said. He rolled his eyes. She always was a broken record. "Really. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't know how to enjoy life as I do now."

He pressed his lips together in a thin smile. "Always glad to help. You ever get over your...issues? We never really talked about those."

"That's currently a work in progress. But that's something, right?"

He hummed. "Right. Now, if you don't mind, that seat's taken."

Damon turned away, effectively shutting her out as he sipped his drink. He was only vaguely aware when she left.

xo

"Come on, Bonnie, you've got to try harder," Stefan said.

"Don't you think I know that?" Bonnie snapped. Then she sighed. "The spell isn't working. I can't find her anywhere."

"Then you're just not trying hard enough," he said.

"If you think it's so easy, then why don't you try?" she asked. "Oh that's right, you can't. Now shut up and let me try this again."

Bonnie closed her eyes, focusing on Jeremy's blood on the map. After a moment, she peeked, then let out a frustrated sigh when she saw it had not moved. "I told you this was pointless."

Stefan bit back the remark that formed on his tongue. Logically, he knew it was not the witch's fault. Despite whatever differences were there between them, Bonnie and Elena were still best friends. He knew that Bonnie would do anything to see her friend safe.

"Look, it's been a rough couple of days," Stefan said. "Let's just take a break and continue this after lunch."

Bonnie sighed. "You're right. I need to refocus my energy." She offered a tight lipped smile as she head for the door. "Meet you back here in an hour?"

She was out the door before Stefan could respond. "Sure, no problem."

All he heard was the ticking of the clock on the wall as he stared at the map on the table. He was not sure why it had not worked.

Frustrated, he pushed away from the table and headed out the door himself. Bonnie was not the only one who needed lunch.

xo

Caroline surveyed her work with a great sense of pride. The gymnasium was back to pristine condition. It had gone faster than she would have liked, but the distracted helped to focus her mind.

Picking up her purse and gathering the rest of her things, she strolled out of the massive room. It was time for lunch, and after sipping on the blood bag in her trunk, she decided to head for the Grill for desert.

Not to her surprise, she saw Damon sitting at the bar. Irritation settled in her chest. She wanted to be angry that he was not out looking, but then she could not be one to talk.

"Fancy meeting you here," she said as she came up to the right of him.

"Best place to think," he said.

"Has there been any change?" she asked.

Damon leaned back on his chair. "Nope. Been listening for any busy bodies. No one's saying a word."

So he had been working, just not in the way she would expect. Deciding to forgive him, she slipped onto the stool beside him and ordered a slice of pie. "Bonnie called. The locator spell was a bust."

He smirked. "So there is something that even the great witch herself can't do."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Anyway. As head of the Prom committee, I got first dibs on the candid shots."

"What does your little dance have to do with any of this?" he asked.

Caroline shrugged. "I don't know. I figured there may be some clue in one of the pictures. She was last seen there, after all."

He gave her a slow smile. "Good thinking there, Forbes."

"What, no Blondie?" she asked as she pulled out her laptop and slipped the memory stick into the slot.

He shrugged. "You're right. Blondie suits you better."

Caroline rolled her eyes before clicking on the folder. Then she sagged. There must have been hundreds of photos in here. It would take awhile to go through them all.

She started her search, and stopped on one. Casting her snack companion a sly glance, she smirked. "Oh look, here's Elena. See how happy she looks?"

Elena looked anything but. Her smile was a grimace, and even in that one shot, the dancing awkward. Damon stared at the screen anyway. "Nice dress."

Sighing, Caroline sorted through the pictures as he returned to the drink. Her pie was delivered, wonderful and gloriously fattening. He drank, she ate and sorted through pictures, and things were almost calm between them.

Almost.

"Look," she said. He groaned and slumped his shoulders. "Teenage girls are young. And stupid. And I am saying this completely knowing I am one of them."

"Let me know when you get to a point," Damon said.

"What I'm trying to say is, we don't know what we want. Or what we need. Our biggest concerns are – or should be – homework and wonder who will ask us to the dance. Our toughest choices should be what classes not to do said homework in, and what to wear to the dance."

"Still waiting for a point."

"All I'm trying to say is I hate you. I hate your guts and more than once have I considered spiking your drink with vervain before staking you," she said. "But Elena doesn't. And for a teenage girl, that's a big something."

"If you hate me so much, why are you telling me this?" he asked.

"Because it's Elena. For whatever twisted reason, you make her happy. I'm not saying you're her end-all be-all, and I'm not saying you're her today, but maybe if you stick around, you could be her tomorrow."

Damon was silent for a moment. "You've been visiting the Hallmark store in the mall again, haven't you?"

"You are such an ass," she said. Disgusted, she finished her pie. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some work to do. Not all of us can afford to sit on our rear ends drinking scotch all day. We do have a girl to find, after all, in case you forgot."

Irritation fueled her as she gathered her belongings, threw down a five dollar bill, and stormed out the bar.

That was what she got for being nice.

xo

Elena worked at the knot, ignoring the pain in her wrists and gut.

"That's never going to work, you know," Damon said behind her.

"Oh great, you're back, just what I need."

"You're getting worse, Elena. You need to save your strength."

"Why, so I can be a living mummy for the next fifty years? I think not." Slowly the bonds were loosening. "Besides, it's not like anyone can find me. There's not exactly a neon sign pointing here."

"People are already looking for you," Damon pointed out.

"You're not," she said without thinking, and the realization hurt.

Finally, her hands were free. With a cry of triumph, she staggered to her feet. The world swayed beneath her, and it took a moment to collect her equillibrium.

"I'm surprised you could stand at all," Damon said.

"Yeah, well, I'm running on adrenaline right now."

Staggering, she chased after the stairs. This time it was only her own inertia that made her fall, but nothing pulled her back. She climbed the rest of the way up and grasped the handle. The door was locked.

"Told you this wasn't going to work," Damon said.

"I got free, didn't I?" she snapped.

"Not yet."

She pulled at the knob with all her strength, which slowly left her. Finally she turned and slumped against the old wood. Maybe if she had her strength she could break down the door, but as it was she was sure she had been stronger as a human.

Helpless to stop the tears, she cried in frustration. Damon slowly walked toward her and sat on the step below her, offering no words.

"Why aren't you here?" she screamed at him. "Where have you gone?"

"Where I'll always be now," he said. "Gone."

xo

Having come up with nothing at the Grill and with closing time quickly approching, Damon entered the boarding house. There was no sign of Stefan, so there was no one to hide the defeat in his shoulders from. Earlier that morning he had scoured where he knew his brother had already looked, desperate for clues that were easily overlooked. Nothing. What clues there could have been had been washed away, just as he had been told.

With a calm he did not feel, he gently closed the front door. He shed his jacket and placed it neatly over the arm of the couch. His bar was his next destination, and even though he had just finished drinking, he poured himself another glass of bourbon. It was empty in no time, so he poured himself another.

Damon stared at the swirling amber, clenching his jaw and tightening his grip on the glass. Then he hurled it at the cool fireplace.

This was not why he left.

The nearly full bottle soon joined the glass in shards. The bourbon would stain his rug, but for now, he did not give a damn.

Instead he staggered back. Then he regained his footing.

His bar was soon decimated.

Stupid girl. Stupid idiotic girl who could not keep herself out of trouble for a single day. He had been done, but she had dragged him back here, worried out of his mind, and it was now he realized he had never truly left.

If she went and did something stupid like getting herself killed, he would flip the switch, raze the god forsaken town to the ground, and never look back.

Damon leaned against the shattered remains of the bar, paying no mind to the splinters of glass that pierced his palms.

_She'll be okay. You just have to look harder._

Damon ran shaky fingers through his hair. He had to get it together, for her, so he could do his job. Even if in the end, she chose Stefan again, realized he was her one and only, he would not give a damn just so long as she was safe and alive and very much not dead.

His knees buckled as he walked toward the kitchen. Stefan had no blood in the house, he had already checked, but cold water could possibly work in a pinch. The bourbon had clouded his mind, that was the problem, and he needed something to shock his system.

He paused at the table. The map lay face up, a stain of blood congealing over a couple square blocks. Caroline had said the spell had not worked. Looking closer, he noticed a minute smear that he would normally miss. It was there, though, obvious that the droplet had shifted. Or it could be his eyes playing tricks on him, desperate for anything at this point.

Whatever it was, it was a start. Better than destroying his house.

Water forgotten, he jogged out of the house and into the night, path clearly marked in his mind.

* * *

_Oh no, what ever will happen. You tell me._


End file.
